Ribbon Words: Decoden Fake Nails

Tutorial Tuesday is upon us! This tutorial will be a little different. Since our last give-away on Facebook, we've been developing a new audience of young costumers and Eastern fashion enthusiasts. This how-to will be both for them and to expose our pre-existing audience to something new. I bring you decoden nails. What's decoden? Check out this article on Lovelyish and find out! Now, onto the tutorial.

Decoden Fake Nails

What You'll Need:

- Nail polish in desired color

- Clear nail polish top coat (with glitter, optional)

- Nail polish in desired color with thin brush for designs

- Fake nails

- Nail glue

- Accessories for decoration

Step 1.

If your nails aren't your ideal shape or length, you can cut and file them at this point. After, start by painting your fake nails with your desired polish color. I chose a pink champagne hue. Make sure to paint several coats to ensure that the clear nail isn't seen through the polish. Always let your nails dry for 10-15 minutes between each coat.

Step 2.

Next, add your top coat. I chose one with glitter to give it that extra sparkle. I recommend putting 2 layers on your nails, with 15 minutes or more of drying time.

Step 3.

Gather your nail accessories! The things you see above are polymer cane decorations for nails, which are very popular in Japan, and come in a huge array of shapes. These canes are very small and come as a long cylinder that you slice thinly to adhere to nails or whatever other items you're using them for. You can find them for very cheap on Etsy or eBay.

Once you have all your accessories (I used polymer cane slices, Swarovski Elements in SS9 and 1/16 inch white double-face ribbon), decorate away! Of course, you can use as many or few decorations as you choose. However, I always recommend to make sure the items you use are small enough for nails, preferably accessories that are specifically made for nails as they tend to hold to nail glue best. How I did my nails was I first did a little Google research on other decoden nails to get a feel for what I wanted. I then sketched out a general idea of how I wanted the nails to look. Finally, I started by doing the most complex nails first-- the middle finger, in my case. This is because it requires more drying time. I'll break down how I did each nail.

Middle Finger:

To make the drip, I used white nail art polish to outline the drip shape very roughly. It doesn't need to be exact-- that's what makes each drip unique! After outlining, I filled it in with the same polish and let it dry. As you can see in the first picture posted, it's a little bumpy. This is because when I was gluing the nail on, the design wasn't as dry as I thought! It smudged, so I had to quickly repair it. I recommend leaving nails with multiple layers to dry for several hours to a full day to make 100% sure that the entire nail is dry. Once dry, I dabbed a small drop of nail glue in the top corner of the nail and stuck a polymer bow on. Hold the polymer in place for 1 full minute and set aside to finish drying.

Pinky Finger:

I first took the white nail art polish and make tiny polkadots all over the nail. Make sure that you don't use too big of a glob. Even though the dot may look great, if it's too thick, it'll take an extremely long time to dry. The top layer may look dry after a half hour or so, but beneath that is likely very wet and will smudge if you try to put the nails on too early. With this, less is more. After being left to dry for a half hour to an hour (assuming you used a very thin, small layer to make each dot), put a small drop of nail glue at the edge of the nail and hold the ribbon in place for 1 minute, then set to dry.

Thumb:

Since nail glue dries so quickly, I put the Swarovski Elements jewels on first. I brushed the bottom edge of the nail with glue and quickly placed the gems on, starting with the middle gem and working outward. This is to make sure it looks centered. I recommend using a tweezer to put the gems on so that you don't end up smearing the glue everywhere. Plus, it makes it that much easier to place the gems exactly where you want them. Press the jewels down and hold for one minute to ensure its spot. After 5 minutes, I grabbed the white nail art polish and quickly drew 2 lines. Always make sure to clear the edges of the wand brush from excess polish. It's no big deal if you need to go back and fill it in more, but use too much and it becomes difficult remove excess paint while making sure it still looks neat. I find that it's easier to turn the nail upside down and start at the thickest part of the lines, sweeping out to create a tapered look. Doing this upside down allows you to be able to see the entire nail as you design, since doing this right side up with force your hand and the polish wand to cover most of the nail. Once complete, put it aside to dry for a few hours.

Ring Finger:

Like the thumb, I started out brushing the nail diagonally with nail glue and placing the middle jewel first (to make sure it's centered and even). Using a tweezer or your fingers, quickly stick the remaining gems on. When finished, hold the gems in place for a full minute before leaving it to dry.

Index Finger:

By far the easiest! I put a small dab of nail glue in the middle of my nail and stuck a jewel to it. Again, you will need to hold it in place for a minute, then set to dry.

Step 4.

Leave your nails to dry for at least half a day (but up to two days for those who are painting on more layers or adding more accessories) and admire your hard work!

Step 5.

Now to put them on! I set my out in order from thumb to pinky to make sure I'm putting the correct nail on each finger.Coat your nail in a layer of nail glue and stick on the appropriate nail. Press and hold in place for 1 minute. Do this for each nail. This is why it's extremely important to let your nails dry for a long period of time. If it's not completely dry, the design will smudge and all your hard work will have gone to waste. (This is what happened to me! That paint under the top layer is so tricky.)

Step 6.

Enjoy! Always carry a small tube or bottle of nail glue with you in the event one falls off.